In this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, I am joined by driving enthusiast Michele Graaff. We discuss the misperception that everyone in motorsport is an adrenaline junkie, and the importance of learning, progression, and self-improvement. She shares her experience in HPDE as a woman, and how to make our sport more inclusive and inviting to all. We also compare “hard skills” and “soft skills.”
Michele’s Speed Secret: Take up your space.
Michele is 46 (late bloomer!), a graduate program coordinator at UW, and lives in Seattle. She drove 2 HPDE days during 2012-2015, and got back into it last year, 2019! She started her journey at her first skills day in a borrowed Porsche 964. Then went to her own car, a 2007 MINI Cooper S; she now drives a 2013 MINI Cooper GP2 (factory-made track oriented version).
Michele’s rule has always been "I'm the most important mod" and says she would never get crazy about upgrades until she outdrove the car. But, in a compromise, she decided to upgrade her car (slightly) from one MINI to another, and bought the GP2. His name is Pecos Bill and they have a lot of fun together.
Michele’s Secret Goals: 1. Learning: soak up as much as she can because the brain is the best tool no matter the car or track. 2. Drive more tracks. 3. Try to race. She loves the idea of pushing herself in that environment to see what she could do. She’s a self-proclaimed “extroverted introvert,” but quietly competitive, mostly with herself. But she finds she drives harder on lapping days when she’s trying to "catch" someone.
In her own words: Being a single woman without a ton of resources has been a challenge to my goals, but I'm doing my best! It's unusual if another woman is at a track day--and I'm always happy when I'm not the only one. I've built up a track box, know how to prep, and think ahead to who I could call if my car breaks. And I always buy track insurance. :) And I've met the most incredibly smart and helpful people, some who I count as friends now. Just so much good input (and some not-so-good advice, as well. haha).
On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, Bryce Kliewer joins me as we go in depth about the lessons learned from racing that apply to business – and vice versa. We also touch on how autocross teaches car control, and compare autocross to time trials to road racing!
Bryce’s speed secret: No one wins a championship alone.
Bryce’s ran the Analytics and Business Intelligence at Coldwater Creek, helping to double the size of the business up to a $1b retailer, through catalog, web sales and the opening of over 350 retail locations. He was the VP of Client Analytics and Operations at Datalogix (a small ad-tech company looking to improve how data is used to make advertising more effective) before it was acquired by Oracle. He now is the VP Enterprise Project Management Office at Oracle as part of the Oracle Data Cloud.
Bryce started out getting his feet wet with local autocross driving a Subaru WRX bugeye wagon, winning multiple local class championships in STX and several top 5 season PAX driver awards. He switched to something rear-wheel drive and acquired a pretty haggard 2003 BMW 330 which he used to win multiple Rocky Mountain SCCA STX class championships and BMW CCA class championships, as well as winning the SCCA Mountain Match Tour Club Shootout. Bryce eventually found his way to the racetrack and over time gutted and caged the BMW 330 for time trials through NASA (built and sponsored by SCR Performance out of Loveland, CO). He used this car to set track records in multiple classes (TTD, TTC, TT5) over the past several seasons at various tracks (Circuit of the Americas, Thunderhill Raceway, High Plains Raceway, Hallet Motorsport, Utah Motorsport Complex, Pueblo Motorsports Park, Motorsports Park Hastings, Pikes Peak International Raceway, La Junta Raceway (some more prestigious than others...)). This culminated in winning the NASA TTC West Coast championships in 2017 (uncontested) and the 2018 NASA National Championships in TT5 at COTA.
On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, Mark Boudreau joins me to discuss the business of motorsport and the importance of being flexible with one’s career – doesn’t matter if it’s pro racing, autocross, rallycross, track days, indoor karting, etc. We also detail common errors that drivers make, and he explains how his law background helps him play devil’s advocate for drivers, asking the tough questions.
Mark’s Speed Secret: Perseverance – never give up and always keep improving.
CEO & Publisher Motorsport Prospects
Inspired by the exploits of fellow Canadian Gilles Villeneuve, Mark became an early fan of F1 from 1980 on. Never interested in actually racing, it was the business of motorsport that always held a fascination, which led to the eventual informal foundation of Motorsport Prospects in 2018. Based directly on the feedback he received from families of young drivers at the beginning of their motorsport careers they observed that there was no real “one stop shop” for motorsport career-related information and resources that they could consult. With a background in law and an alumnus of Western University’s Faculty of Law, Mark applies the same concept of due diligence used in the legal field to the research he conducts both for the Motorsport Prospects Directory and for individual clients. He is passionate in ensuring that all drivers, their family and advisors have the information they need to make an informed motorsport-related decision.
Check out Mark below:
MotorsportProspects.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motorsportprospects/
Twitter: @motorsportprosp
Mentioned: NoMoneyMotorsports.com
On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, I sit down with Eric Kaul to discuss why the social aspect and community of our sport are so important, the High Performance Driving & Racing Enthusiasts community, and the balance between inclusiveness and exclusivity. We also talk about the impact of fitness and nutrition on performance.
Eric’s Speed Secret: Get your fitness and nutrition under control.
Eric Kaul knows just about everyone and if he doesn’t - it’s only a matter of time. He is "Mr. Community" and genuinely loves bringing high performance driving enthusiasts together both in the paddock and into social media. Eric is the co-founder and driving force behind the HPDRE community groups on Facebook (High Performance Driving and Racing Enthusiasts), resides outside Boston, MA and has been an active instructor with several HPDE organizations in the Northeast corner of the US. He works in the retail telecom industry and many drivers, racers, driving organizations and racing businesses in the motorsports community are his wireless clients.
Check out Eric below:
Eric’s phone number: 508-834-3311
HPDRE on Facebook
@BetterCallKaul
#KaulMe
#HPDRE
On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, Stefan Rzadzinski joins me to discuss how he got into and competed in the Race of Champions against Sebastian Vettel, Juan Montoya, Tom Kristensen, Pieter Solberg, Kurt and Kyle Busch, David Couthard, Alexnader Rossi, and James Hinchcliffe. We also get into limits – how to sense your car’s limits, and how to trust yourself to test those limits. Do you wonder when to focus on improving your car’s setup versus when to focus on your own driving? We explore that, too!
Stefan’s Speed Secret: Keep believing and don’t give up.
Stefan Rzadzinski is a 27-year-old driver born in Edmonton and based in British Columbia. Stefan grew up in karting and went on to compete in formula cars - including the Road to Indy ladder, NASCAR Canada, Nissan Micra Cup, LMP3, and GT3 cars. Stefan had the opportunity to race in Asia for the Hankook factory team, ATLAS BX Racing, and most recently in the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY supporting Formula E. Stefan is also a partner in Catalyst Driver Development with other Western Canadian drivers Scott Hargrove and Remo Ruscitti. They provide coaching, support, and service for their team that runs on the Italkart brand.
Check out Stefan, below:
Web: http://www.rzadracing.com
Instagram: @rzadracing
Twitter: @rzadracing
Facebook: Facebook.com/rzadracing
On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, I talk with my good friend Tom Roberts about flow, or getting “in the zone.” Tom recently wrote a 4-part article in Speed Secrets Weekly about his research and experience with the state of flow from a neuroscience and more spiritual perspective – and how fear impacts it. It’s all about how to perform at your best when on the track (or off). We talk mindfulness, mindset, awareness, fear, ego, and how these help you become a better driver.
Tom’s Speed Secret: Be willing to get to know yourself.
Tom got into track driving many years ago, and raced in the Skip Barber series. He then began making annual pilgrimages to the Nürburgring – something that he and I do together now, taking small groups of drivers with us. In 2019, Tom made his racing debut at the Ring, a long-time goal of his. In addition to his European motorsport adventures, Tom races in various endurance series in the U.S., and continues to track whatever his current Porsche is. When he’s not flying around a race track, Tom can also be found flying the skies in an RV4 aerobatics plane, doing loops, rolls, and simulated dog fights. He loves the experience of flow!
On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, Davin Sturdivant joins me to discuss all things karting! Why karting is awesome, why karting is a valuable learning tool, how you can use karting to learn to read drivers. We also get into sim racing and eSports!
Davin’s Speed Secret: Be open.
Davin Sturdivant is a competition go-kart racer, based out of the Pacific Northwest. Davin’s enthusiasm for performance driving and motorsports is highly engaging, encouraging people to become involved with the sport through his impassioned efforts.
With an additional background in Solo II autocross and sim racing, Davin’s ‘superpower’ is being able to introduce new people to accessible forms of motorsport, and pointing them to resources they can use to develop themselves, such as the Kartpulse Forums, an online resource for grassroots competition karters.
Davin is also an administrator of the 'Motorsports Book Club' on Facebook, a community group designed to introduce people to new motorsports literature.
Check out Davin below!
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @relaxeddriver
Kart Pulse: https://www.kartpulse.com/forums
Facebook Motorsport Book Club
In this week’s episode of Speed Secret Podcast, I go solo discuss a lifetime in motorsport and the most valuable things I learned along the way. I dive into the story of how I got involved in this wonderful sport, the relationship between driving experience and when you should begin modifying and tuning your car, focusing on performance rather than results, why adaptability is more important than being fast, how you can improve your ability to sense the limits of your car and tires, and the advanced techniques the best drivers use!
Follow Speed Secrets on social media to keep up with the latest!
https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach/
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https://speedsecrets.com/
On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, Craig Watkins sits down to discuss how he became a race car engineer, how the Flying Lizards race team came about, the process of engineering and tuning a car’s handling, and the right questions to ask to figure out what your car needs. He also dishes about what it’s like to work with drivers such as Johannes van Overbeek, Patrick Long, Jörg Bermeister, Timo Bernhard, and other factory Porsche drivers.
Craig’s Speed Secret: Use a tire gauge and notebook, then data acquisition and video.
Craig Watkins is considered one of the top Porsche race engineers in the world. Watkins has been engineering and racing cars since he was a teenager. He began off-road racing in 1976 and competed in a Class10 car in the SCORE series from 1983 to 1990. Racing with Greg Aronson, Watkins won nearly every major off-road race including the Parker Dam 400, the Baja 1000 and the Frontier 500; he won the SCORE points championship in 1987. In the early 90’s Watkins began racing in local Porsche club events, where he met driver Johannes van Overbeek who would introduce him to World Challenge GT racing and the Lizards. Watkins has been Flying Lizard chief engineer since its inception in 2003.
Check out Craig below!
https://www.smartracingproducts.com
@craig.watkins.ca
https://tractivesuspension.com
In this week’s episode of Speed Secrets podcast, I am joined by Clay Millican, NHRA Top Fuel drag racer. We discuss the mental game of drag racing, driving 11,000 horsepower, how to steer a Top Fuel dragster, the importance of reaction times, and all that goes into driving a race in less than 4 seconds!
Clay Millican is a 6-time World Champion Top Fuel drag racer, having won IHRA championships from 2001 to 2006. He’s won 3 NHRA events, and his top speed is 335.23 MPH, and an ET of 3.628 seconds.
Clay’s Speed Secret: Focus on what you want.
Check out Clay below:
https://www.straightlinestrategy.com/clay-millican
On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, James Hinchcliffe joins me to discuss how “the Major of Hinchtown” came about, where the “fun meter” is pointing these days when you get in a race car, how to regain focus using mental triggers, the importance of being able to adapt (and why one style is not good enough), and using a negative, “cup half empty” approach to winning.
James Hinchcliffe is a Canadian race car driver best known for competing in the IndyCar Series. He currently competes part-time in the No. 29 Genesys/Petro Canada Lubricants Honda for Andretti Autosport. James has won six races to date for Andretti Autosport and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports..
Check out the links below to follow James!
http://www.hinchtown.com
IG/FB/TW: @hinchtown
On this week’s part 2 episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, Michael Zimicki and I carry on busting myths and ranting about the way too many drivers and coaches get caught up in the thinking that everything something we say should be taken as gospel.
Mike’s speed secret: Never stop learning.
Mike has coached drivers such as Graham Rahal, Danica Patrick, Jon Fogarty, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and many, many more big names; he’s also coached drivers you’ve never heard of. The bottom line is he’s one of the best.
Check out Mike at:
https://www.sliderulemotorsports.com
IG: @zimicki
Facebook
On this week’s part 1 episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, I sit down with friend and coach, Michael Zimicki, to bust or confirm some of the most common driving myths!
Mike has coached drivers such as Graham Rahal, Danica Patrick, Jon Fogarty, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and many, many more big names; he’s also coached drivers you’ve never heard of. The bottom line is he’s one of the best.
Check out Mike at:
https://www.sliderulemotorsports.com
IG: @zimicki
Facebook
On this week’s episode of Speed Secret podcast, Peter Krause (fellow coach and data guru) joins me to talk all things driving fast – consistently! We get into why driving the limit is more important than the line, raising corner entry speed, and leading the throttle existing corners.
Peter’s Speed Secret: Drive every corner, every lap, as quickly as you can.
Peter specialties include individual and privately tailored analysis and optimization programs for sports car drivers and racers; data analysis equipment sales and training; supply and support for prep shops and teams for AiM Sports and Video VBOX equipment. A multi-time championship-winning racing driver, award-winning mechanic and automotive historian, Krause understands and can communicate effectively both the psychology AND methodology of "going fast," with more than thirty-five years of experience and a library of historical data to draw on.
Check out Peter here:
www.peterkrause.net
www.gofasternow.com
On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets podcast, Adam Spence (architect leader at Garmin, and racer) joins me to discuss Garmin’s new data tool, the Catalyst. The Catalyst really is as cool as it sounds, and helped me shave 0.9 seconds off my best lap time. Plus, Adam explains what Area 51 at Garmin is!
In addition to his role as Product Architect Leader – Area 51 at Garmin, Adam is a racer and track instructor.
Check out the Catalyst here!
On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, I talk with Dr. Jerry Lynch, author of my all-time favorite book, Thinking Body, Dancing Mind. As an expert in Eastern philosophy and sports psychology, his insights and guidance have had a major impact on my life, helping me perform better as a driver and coach. We discuss what being a champion really means, how Jerry’s teachings were used by Phil Jackson when coaching the Chicago Bulls, L.A. Lakers, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant, and his human growth and performance consulting group, Way of Champions.
Check out Way of Champions here:
https://www.wayofchampions.com
Jerry combines Eastern thought, Native American tradition, Christian mysticism and western psychology to help create focus, mental talent, spiritual dexterity, inspiration and empowerment not only for competitive events but to learn self awareness, confidence and how to be the best version of yourself each day.
Jerry has been recognized as one of the top five in his profession nationwide. He has worked with teams, coaches and athletes in the NBA, Pro Lacrosse, National Soccer League, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, golf and other sports at many top universities. Jerry has a doctorate in psychology from Penn State University, and has done extensive post-doctoral work in the area of philosophy, Taoist and Buddhist thought, comparative religions, leadership development, and performance enhancement. He is the author of 14 books in as many as 10 languages on coaching, leadership, spirituality of sport, warrior spirit, peak performance, and sports psychology.
On this week’s Speed Secret Podcast, Cathy McCause Fuss joins me to talk about why she got involved with running a race series, how to make a series popular, how to make endurance racing safe, her sponsors (Hankook and Hawk brakes), and giving back through charitable events. She shares about Lucky Dog races and Heroes Motorsports race teams for veterans.
Cathy’s speed secret: Be able to see!
Cathy has been involved in endurance racing since driving in the very first Lemons races at Altamont Motorsports Park, then co-founding ChumpCar & being their executive VP for 6 years, partnering with my Chump colleague Joey Todd at WRL when we started Lucky Dog. All this after leaving 25 years in software, most recently as VP Global Marketing for Oracle Utilities.
As North America’s fasting growing grassroots endurance series boasting over 600 teams & 3,000 drivers, Lucky Dog Racing League host events at bucket list track such as at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway, Willow Springs International Raceway, Utah Motorsports Park, The Ridge Motorsports Park, Buttonwillow Raceway, Pacific Raceways, Thunderhill Raceway Park, Oregon Raceway Park, Portland International Raceway, Spokane County Raceway, Chuckwalla Valley Raceway, Canada’s exclusive Area 27 and the Wild Dogs Ensenada Grand Prix on the streets of Ensenada, Baja, Mexico. The 2020 season will culminate at Thunderhill Raceway Park, Willlows CA on the 5-mile track for the Dawg Days of Thunder Championship / 1000 Miles of Thunderhill. The 2021 season will include an event at Circuit of Americas (COTA)!
Check out Cathy below!
https://www.racelucky.com
https://www.facebook.com/raceluckydog
@RaceLucky
@RaceLuckyDog
YouTube: Lucky Dog Racing League
On this week’s Speed Secrets Podcast, Samir Abid and I get into how best to use data to help you become an even better driver, managing the driver’s mind when it’s too analytical and focused on data, and how to use the data from another driver to improve your own driving. We also talk about what Samir learned from having Scott Mansell of Driver61 drive his car, and what makes Lewis Hamilton so special. Samir shares about his involvement in Nike’s Breaking2 and the Ineos 1:59 Challenge projects (breaking the 2-hour barrier for running a marathon)!
Samir’s speed secret: Once up to speed, focus on corner exit rather than late braking.
Samir Abid is the founder of Your Data Driven and a Chartered Professional Motorsports and Automotive Engineer from the UK. As well as developing suspension systems for several OEMs and racing teams (including Aston Martin, Jaguar, and Multimatic), Samir has also spent the last ten years working with Olympic and professional level sports teams, and is also a keen club racer.
Check out Samir below!
https://www.yourdatadriven.com
@YourDataDriven
On this week’s Speed Secret Podcast, Jonatan Jorge joins me to discuss what’s made him so successful as a coach, when a coach needs their own coach, and looking outside motorsport (at other sports) to learn how to be a better coach and driver. We also get into the misconception of looking way ahead and through the corner, the value of checkpoints, different references for different drivers, and visual pattern matching. As a bonus, Ross shares his “vision process.”
Jonatan’s speed secret: Know yourself.
Jonatan’s second speed secret: Expect nothing, accept everything.
Jonatan Jorge has been racing and coaching since 1991 and leads JJRD’s operations, coaching philosophy and service delivery. He has made a mark in the racing world both as a driver and coach in auto racing’s most highly respected series and echelons, including:
- Nascar
- British Formula 3
- Turkish Formula 3
- Skip Barber National and Regional Series
- Formula Ford 2000
- Grand Am/Rolex Series
- IRL
- American LeMans
- World Karting Championships
- Brazilian National Karting Championships
- Tens of unbroken track and race series records
- Vehicle Manufacturer Events, Commercials and TV productions, and many others.
Check out Jonatan below!
http://www.teamjjrd.com
@jjrdinc on social media
On this week’s Speed Secrets Podcast, Rob Krider joins me to talk about his writing career; his novel, Cadet Blues; his “other” job as a California Highway Patrol officer; and his experience when his car caught fire. Ever wonder the similarities between racing and police driving? We get into that, too!
Rob’s speed secret: Drive fast enough to scare yourself once a lap; make micro-improvements; be consistent.
Rob Krider is a National Champion racecar driver from the NASA Honda Challenge series and he writes the "Toolshed Engineer" column for SpeedNews magazine. He is featured in the documentary film, Double Down, about earning a podium finish at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill. Besides racing and writing, Rob earns his living as a California Highway Patrol officer. He attributes a lot of his success behind the wheel from his training at the CHP Academy. From that experience he authored the novel Cadet Blues, a humorous take on police training.
Links Below:
Rob Krider's book about surviving the California Highway Patrol Academy, Cadet Blues:
https://www.amazon.com/Cadet-Blues-Rob-Krider/dp/1495108589
Rob Krider's documentary film about the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Double Down:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssY5LsQ91jY
Rob Krider's archive of how-to articles on racing, RobKrider.com:
http://www.robkrider.com/
Rob Krider's National Champion racing team, Double Nickel Nine Motorsports:
http://www.team559.com/
Rob Krider on Instagram, KriderRacing:
https://www.instagram.com/kriderracing/?hl=en
On this week’s Speed Secret Podcast, John joins me to discuss some very important things in driving: self reflection, awareness, accountability, ego, and being okay saying “I don’t know.” John breaks down philosophy and teaching, and how “Aha!” moments are rare, but that’s ok because learning is a process! We break down the traits of the best and worst drivers, and explain how having a fixed vs. growth mindset will determine your success.John Santiago: Learn How to Learn
John’s speed secret: Know yourself. Find ways to become aware of how you can improve.
On this week’s Speed Secrets Podcast, Jeff and I discuss how to improve your race strategy decisions – what to know, what to ask, what to understand, and having patience. We also dig into his hobby business, Mesa Vista Coffee, and his love of coffee roasting!
Jeff is one of the very best race car engineers in the world. He’s engineered cars at every level, and every type: NASCAR, karts, club racing cars, Indy, GT and Prototypes, and even Top Fuel dragsters. But what sets Jeff apart from many engineers is how he can explain what he’s doing, what a car is doing, and even how the best think.
Check these out to follow Jeff’s company, Mesa Vista Coffee!
eBay: Mesa Vista Coffee
Instagram: @mesavistacoffee
Facebook: facebook.com/mesavistacoffee
On this week’s episode, Danny and I discuss his background as a driver and his motorsport business, Hankook Motorsports. We talk everything tires and tackle how to find the right tire pressure for your car, how to use tire temperature, whether tires are directional or not, heat cycles, and how driving styles affect tires!
Danny van Dongen is a Dutch racing driver and entrepreneur, currently competing in the MW-V6 Pickup Series.
Danny’s speed secret: Feel what the tires are doing and adapt your driving to them.
Check these out to follow Danny:
https://hankookmotorsports.com
@hankookmotorsports
@dannyvandongen
On this week’s episode, Chris Andrews joins me to discuss how driving styles impact the handling of a car, different car setups for oval and road racing, the best passing zones at Watkins Glen, and the best books to read to learn about the best car setup and engineering. Also, a special treat, Chris shares hilarious stories about Dale Earnhardt (including what he says at a urinal).
Chris's speed secret: Never stop learning.
Check these out to follow Chris:
Web: www.tcaellc.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tcaengineeringllc/
On this week’s episode, Adam Jabaay joins me to discuss the best stories from the Slip Angle podcast, everything Gridlife, and eSports and sim racing. He also shares how he manages time between racing, family, and business – and where to sneak sleep in!
Adam is a club racer in SCCA, NASA and Lemons, a HPDE instructor, and one of the organizers of the Gridlife events. He’s also a co-host, along with Austin Cabot, on the Slip Angle podcast; in addition, they have the TrackTuned.com blog.
Adam’s speed secret: Work harder on your driving than you want to work.
Check these out to follow Adam
Slip Angle Podcast: www.tracktuned.com
www.grid.life
www.facebook.com/GRIDLIFEOfficial/
IG: @gridlifeofficial
Twitter: @gridlifefest